THQ has been shedding a lot of studios and people. Besides the previously mentioned Volition, Maryland studio Big Huge Games just got whacked. No buyer was forthcoming. BHG was founded by for people who cut their teeth on some of the biggest strategy games in PC-dom, including Alpha Centauri, Civlizations 1 and 2, and Gettysburgh. They carved their own identity with the release of Rise Of Nations and were in the middle of developing an RPG with Ken Rolston, the lead designer for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Also, THQ has spun off Heavy Iron and Incinerator into independent studios. Heavy Iron was created specifically to make games based on licensed properties like Scooby-Doo and Fairly Oddparents and several recent Pixar films. Incinerator ported Cars over to the Wii.

However, not all is gloom and doom. THQ's Kaos Studios, makers of Frontlines -- Fuel Of War, is putting out the call for all kinds of creative staff for a mystery project. So dust off those resumes.